[Mark]

I’m interested to see your spray deck when it’s completed. I’d really like one on mine, but I don’t want to commit to the more permanent whitewater style spray deck since I will often just be paddling around flat lakes fishing with my children…

I’d be fine with some sort of removeable cruiser deck, but I’m not sure what the best way will be to go about adding it. Velcro/zipper/bungee system?

[Mark]

I can’t speak from much experience since I just finished my raft, but I’d say that it’s not necessary. If I was building a second raft, I’d probably leave it off for now and decide later.

That said, I did mount mine already and I extended it with some silicone hose so it can be used from the normal seating position. But if you aren’t going to extend it like that, then you’re going to have to twist your body around to get to it (seeing how most people mount them beside the boston valve on the back of the raft)… and in that scenario you might as well just use the boston valve.

The boston valve has a one way valve in it so it won’t let air out between breaths, whereas the topup valve doesn’t have this feature.

[Mark]

I couldn’t find the right type of attachment loops for hooking the backband shock cord to the plate anchors… so I made some. Used some scrap 8AWG copper wire and a $13 wire bending tool from Lee Valley Tools. The nice thing about copper is it doesn’t rust, its malleable, and it’s easily solderable. I wouldn’t use it for some heavier duty attachments, but for this purpose it worked very well. Make sure to file the ends nice and round.

[Mark]

More pictures of the refinements I’ve added over the past couple days…

Finished grab lines on the stern, added thigh straps and a backband:

The thigh straps and back band are simply some shoulder straps that came with my MEC duffel bags over the years:

 

Had to name it of course…

I’d like to introduc you to the Wavefaring Stranger:

 

Weighed the whole shebang. This is 2.88kg (approx 6.5lbs) with the thigh straps and backband and seat all rolled in there too.

[Mark]

Added a few tie down points:

one inside on the floor with a paracord loop to clip a nalgene onto: It’s simply 2 – 2″ circles of 210D with a 1000D semicircle in between.

 

Then 4 on the bow for a grab line (using the improved tie-down method posted here on the board):

 

And then took it for a test drive in grandmas pool:

[Mark]

Feel free to use anything I post here 🙂 I’ll take some good measurements of things tonight and post up more information and details. The measurements you provided for the TIzip location worked out beautifully.

[Author]

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